Chapter 2: Office Procedures - Using Shared Google Calendar
In addition to Gmail and Google Docs, the UCSIM team uses shared Google Calendars to coordinate our schedules, appointments, time off work, and events happening on our virtual campus. All Google services are tied to a particular e-mail account, so if you have not yet created your Gmail account, return to the Getting Started page and do that first.
What is a Google Calendar?
If you have ever used a shared online calendar (such as Outlook), you will find that Google Calendar works similarly. It allows members of our team to post events, time off notices, or other scheduled appointments in a shared calendar that everyone can see. Since it is also integrated with Gmail, and offers applications for mobile smartphones, it can also e-mail alerts and reminders to the team so we're sure never to miss an event or important meeting.
In our shared UCSIM Team calendar, we keep our current appointments, meetings, and other notes up to date. We can embed Google Calendars in web pages. The public can view our calendar. Click on any event to get more information or details.
Accessing Google Calendar
You will not be able to access the UCSIM Team shared calendar until your supervisor sets permissions for you to share the calendar and add events. If you have created your Gmail account and don't see the UCSIM Team calendar when you follow the steps below, contact your supervisor to be added.
To start, access Google Calendar from your Gmail Account. Go to your Gmail account and click the "Calendar" link in the upper left corner of your screen. If you have never used Google Calendar before, you will see a welcome screen and be asked to enter your password and provide some basic information. Cincinnati is on Eastern Time (-5 GMT).
You should see the calendar "UCSIM Team" in the Other Calendars section. This calendar contains all of the scheduled appointments and meetings for the project team. You can change the color of the display by clicking the down arrow to the right of the calendar name. Currently, Google Calendar defaults to a Weekly view, but you can click the Month button at the top right corner of the calendar to view the entire month.
To add an event to the calendar, click either the "Create Event" button or the day of the event, and enter the details. Be sure to select to add the event to the "UCSIM Team" calendar and not your personal calendar.
To add more details, click the event on the calendar, then click "Edit Event Details" to enter the screen where you can add location, descriptions, reminders, and more. Be sure to click "Save" at the bottom of the screen when you're done!
What Should I Add to the Shared UCSIM Team Calendar?
Anything the team should know about - appointments, project meetings, time off work, other events - can be displayed on our team calendar. For example, after receiving approval for a time off work request, you should mark the date by adding an event to the team calendar. When appropriate, include pertinent details, such as location, Second Life URLs (SLurls), a description, or other information that will be helpful for the team to know about that event.
Examples of events that should be marked on the team calendar:
Appointments with customers
Project meetings
Time off work (Full time staff should mark if it is Vacation or Sick time.)
Notable facility maintenance events (e.g., if construction work is to be done in our work space)
Departmental meetings
Examples of information that should not be marked on the team calendar:
Personal information about why you are taking off work.
Your personal appointments, exam schedules, etc.
It is important that members of the team know when to expect their colleagues to be in or out of the office. Failure to update the calendar in a timely manner may result in disciplinary action. It is your responsibility to keep the team calendar updated.
Chapter 2: Office Procedures - Using Shared Google Calendar
In addition to Gmail and Google Docs, the UCSIM team uses shared Google Calendars to coordinate our schedules, appointments, time off work, and events happening on our virtual campus. All Google services are tied to a particular e-mail account, so if you have not yet created your Gmail account, return to the Getting Started page and do that first.
What is a Google Calendar?
If you have ever used a shared online calendar (such as Outlook), you will find that Google Calendar works similarly. It allows members of our team to post events, time off notices, or other scheduled appointments in a shared calendar that everyone can see. Since it is also integrated with Gmail, and offers applications for mobile smartphones, it can also e-mail alerts and reminders to the team so we're sure never to miss an event or important meeting.
In our shared UCSIM Team calendar, we keep our current appointments, meetings, and other notes up to date. We can embed Google Calendars in web pages. The public can view our calendar. Click on any event to get more information or details.
Accessing Google Calendar
You will not be able to access the UCSIM Team shared calendar until your supervisor sets permissions for you to share the calendar and add events. If you have created your Gmail account and don't see the UCSIM Team calendar when you follow the steps below, contact your supervisor to be added.
To start, access Google Calendar from your Gmail Account. Go to your Gmail account and click the "Calendar" link in the upper left corner of your screen. If you have never used Google Calendar before, you will see a welcome screen and be asked to enter your password and provide some basic information. Cincinnati is on Eastern Time (-5 GMT).
You should see the calendar "UCSIM Team" in the Other Calendars section. This calendar contains all of the scheduled appointments and meetings for the project team. You can change the color of the display by clicking the down arrow to the right of the calendar name. Currently, Google Calendar defaults to a Weekly view, but you can click the Month button at the top right corner of the calendar to view the entire month.
To add an event to the calendar, click either the "Create Event" button or the day of the event, and enter the details. Be sure to select to add the event to the "UCSIM Team" calendar and not your personal calendar.
To add more details, click the event on the calendar, then click "Edit Event Details" to enter the screen where you can add location, descriptions, reminders, and more. Be sure to click "Save" at the bottom of the screen when you're done!
What Should I Add to the Shared UCSIM Team Calendar?
Anything the team should know about - appointments, project meetings, time off work, other events - can be displayed on our team calendar. For example, after receiving approval for a time off work request, you should mark the date by adding an event to the team calendar. When appropriate, include pertinent details, such as location, Second Life URLs (SLurls), a description, or other information that will be helpful for the team to know about that event.
Examples of events that should be marked on the team calendar:
Examples of information that should not be marked on the team calendar:
It is important that members of the team know when to expect their colleagues to be in or out of the office. Failure to update the calendar in a timely manner may result in disciplinary action. It is your responsibility to keep the team calendar updated.
Continue to Chapter 2: Office Procedures - Using Wikispaces